This week, 99 international flags were installed in the 9/11 Memorial Museum pavilion to commemorate the victims of 9/11. Visible from the 9/11 Memorial plaza, these flags help to signify the victims’ countries and epitomize the global impact of 9/11.

The installation of these flags recall those hanging in the mezzanine level of the original Twin Towers. Some of the flags, which were not on display on 9/11, are part of the museum’s collection.

Original South Tower lobby. Photograph by Tom Wallace.

The museum is proud to display the flags of these countries in memory of the 2,977 victims of 9/11.

By Christine Murphy, 9/11 Memorial Administration/Researcher

A group of Paterson, NJ school children experienced the 9/11 Memorial Museum on an impactful youth tour on Tuesday, August 18. The tour was led by education Specialists Shannon Elliott and Eduardo Quezada as part of our Summer Programs.

The visit carried a special layer of meaning, as the trip was funded by the Todd Ouida Foundation. Ouida overcame personal health issues as a child to thrive as an adult before his life was cut short on 9/11. In a recently published article, the Bergen Record details the connection the students were able to make with Ouida’s inspirational story, as well as the heroic details of 9/11’s first responders.

By Anthony Guido, 9/11 Memorial Director of Communications

Teachers are often challenged by how to approach educating students about the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. Last week, in an attempt to find answers to that challenge, a group of American History teachers from across the country gathered in the Education Center of the 9/11 Memorial Museum for a joint seminar with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. 

The GIlder Lehrman Institute selected the 25 participating educators from a large pool of applicants. They investigated the historical causes, the immediate impact and the legacies of the 9/11 attacks, examining how societies have coped with episodes of great violence such as the American Civil War, the Great War in Europe, the Holocaust, and the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Distinguished historian Edward Linenthal, who led the seminar, said “understanding the impact of violence and its ripple effects will help us understand people who are impacted by terrorism around the world.”

Using the museum’s collections, the historic site, and the memorial plaza, teachers studied the nature of commemoration. Additionally, they heard lectures from historians David Blight, James Young, photographer Tom Franklin, and Donna Glessner and Jeff Reinbold from the National Flight 93 Memorial.

Toby Smith, the Master Teacher and program coordinator for the Gilder Lehrman Society, remarked, “Being in this space provides a more meaningful and emotional experience. Everyone is thinking, ‘We’re here. Under where the South Tower once stood.’”

At the seminar’s conclusion, teachers had developed lesson plans centered on the themes addressed over the week. Linenthal hopes the time spent at the seminar will help teachers cultivate a sense of “meaningful empathy” in their students.

 By 9/11 Memorial Staff

The Lens: Capturing Life and Events at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum is a photography series devoted to documenting moments big and small that unfold at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. 

The View: Members of the U.S. Navy inspect the destroyed fire engine, Ladder 3, at the 9/11 Museum, captured by Jenny Pachucki.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff